| A sword is a bladed weapon, consisting in its most | | | | Many swords in mythology, literature and history |
| fundamental design of a blade and a handle. The | | | | are named by their wielders or by the person |
| blade is usually of some metal ground to at least | | | | who makes them. |
| one sharp edge and often has a pointed tip for | | | | * King Arthur - Excalibur |
| thrusting. The handle, called the hilt, can be made | | | | * Kusanagi (Grasscutter) - The Japanese |
| of many materials, but the material most | | | | equivalent to Excalibur |
| common is wood covered by leather, fish skin or | | | | * Sword of Damocles |
| metal wiring. The parts of a sword are | | | | * El Cid - Tizona |
| remarkably consistent between cultures. The | | | | * The Polish kings - Szczerbiec |
| basic intent and physics of swordsmanship is fairly | | | | * Unferth, associate of Beowulf - Hrunting |
| constant. | | | | * Sigurd - Gram (in the Volsung Saga) or Balmung |
| This kind of weapon has been in use from the | | | | (sometimes in later traditions) |
| Bronze Age when the construction of long metal | | | | * Tyrfing - a cursed sword from the Elder Edda |
| blades was possible for the first time. Early | | | | * Durandal - the sword belongs to Roland, a hero |
| swords were made of solid bronze or copper; | | | | of the medieval French epic "The Song of Roland" |
| these were hard, but quite brittle. Not until iron | | | | * Joyeuse - the sword of Charlemagne (Charles |
| could be forged did the sword truly become an | | | | the Great), medieval king of Franks |
| important weapon. Soon, smiths learned that with | | | | * Grus- the historical sword of Boleslaw |
| a proper amount of coal (specifically the carbon in | | | | Krzywousty (Boleslaus the Wrymouthed), |
| coal) in the iron, another metal (alloy really) could | | | | medieval prince of Poland |
| be produced: steel. | | | | A tool exists that resembles the sword and it is |
| Several different ways of swordmaking existed in | | | | called a machete (or, in Southern Africa, a panga) |
| ancient times. One of the most reputed is pattern | | | | and is used to cut through thick vegetation. |
| welding. Over time new methods were developed | | | | Indeed, the difference between a machete and a |
| all over the world. | | | | sword is mainly that of utilization, and several |
| In Pre-Columbian South America and Mesoamerica | | | | types of swords in history resemble the machete |
| several cultures made use of types of swords | | | | in construction, such as for example the |
| without developing metallurgy; for example | | | | scramasax, the dusack, and the falchion. |
| swords with obsidian "teeth" mounted along the | | | | While a rigid classification is not feasible, the latter |
| "edges" of a wooden "blade". | | | | is usually referred to as a kind of chopping sword. |
| Having seen use for about five millennia, swords | | | | The scramasax, usually lacking a cross-piece or |
| began to lose their military uses in the late 18th | | | | any kind of guard, is more properly considered a |
| century because of increasing availability and | | | | war knife. |
| reliability of gunpowder weapons. Swords were still | | | | Parts of the sword |
| used although increasingly limited to officers and | | | | * Blade - the cutting part of a sword is the blade. |
| ceremonial uniforms. Cavalry sabre charges still | | | | In single-edged swords, the non-cutting edit is the |
| occurred as late as World War II during which | | | | back. The blade may also have grooves or fullers. |
| Japanese and Pacific Islanders also occasionally | | | | The purpose of these fullers is not to act as |
| used swords. | | | | gutters for blood (as was once thought), but to |
| There are hundreds of types of swords. Here are | | | | lighten the blade while allowing it to retain its |
| the most famous: | | | | strength. |
| * Rapier - a longer european dueling sword, | | | | * Hilt - the handle of a sword, and consists of the |
| optimized more for thrusting than a slashing action | | | | guard, the grip, and the pommel. It may also have |
| * Small-sword - a very short and light descendant | | | | a tassel or sword knot. |
| of the rapier. | | | | * Scabbard - the scabbard is the case that the |
| * Long-sword - a straight, pointed, two edged | | | | sword is kept in when not in use. |
| European sword with a grip long enough for use | | | | * Ricasso - the short section of blade between |
| with two hands. | | | | the base of the guard and the grip. The ricasso is |
| * Katana and Tachi - Japanese samurai swords | | | | not sharpened, which allows a finger to be |
| (see also Wakizashi) | | | | wrapped around the guard for better control. On |
| * Claymore - either of two types of Scottish | | | | some large weapons, such as the German |
| sword | | | | Zweihander, the ricasso was covered with leather |
| * Sabre - (saber) a sword with curved edge | | | | and might be gripped in one hand to make the |
| intended for slashing or chopping | | | | weapon more wieldy in close quarters combat. |
| * Jian - a Chinese double-edged thin straight | | | | * Shoulder - the short section of blade between |
| sword | | | | the hilt and the start of the sharpened portion of |
| * Dao - a Chinese single-edged curved sword, | | | | the blade. The maker's mark is normally to be |
| sometimes translated as sabre or broadsword in | | | | found on the shoulder. |
| English. | | | | * Tang - the part of the blade extending from |
| * Gladius - a Roman legionaire's short | | | | the top of the blade through the hilt and the grip. |
| swordSeveral modern sports and martial arts | | | | The sword is often held together by a nut |
| have components based upon older principles of | | | | screwed onto the tang above the pommel. |
| swordfighting. Among these are fencing, kendo, | | | | * The CoP (Center of Percussion), AKA Sweet |
| kenjutsu, escrima, aikido and some variants of | | | | Spot - the part of the blade that can deliver the |
| kung fu. | | | | strongest blow with the least vibration. |